Hulu’s The Path concluded its engrossing (if occasionally uneven) first season Wednesday with multiple cliffhangers, at least one major head-scratcher and lots of fertile ground to cultivate in Season 2. Below, series creator Jessica Goldberg sheds surprising light on the climactic quasi-resurrection witnessed by Aaron Paul’s Eddie, divulges the foreshadowing embedded within that unholy toast between Sarah (Michelle Monaghan) and Cal (Hugh Dancy), explains why the heck Hawk (Kyle Allen) didn’t follow his dad outta dodge, and drops a tantalizing spoiler about the already-ordered second season.

TVLINE | Is it safe to assume Cal knows nothing about the fact that Steve is very much alive and well?
Cal knows nothing about it. And whether Steve is alive and well [is up for debate], but he’s definitely standing.

TVLINE | Why was Eddie going to see him in the first place?
Eddie, in a funny way, is the one with the most mysticism. Sarah lives with pure faith; it’s in her DNA. And Cal lives with a sort of pragmatist view [mixed] with his own ambition — he wants to believe everything because it serves his own psychological needs. But Eddie — the doubter — is actually the one with the most contact with truth. Since the beginning of the season, he’s been haunted by these visions. And when he leaves [the movement in the finale] and he finds himself haunted again he’s compelled to look for answers.

TVLINE | By the end of the episode, how convinced is Sarah that Cal murdered Silas?
I don’t know about murdered, but she’s convinced she’s been lied to. It’s hard to imagine someone who is your best friend murdering someone. But all is not well.

TVLINE | And does that toast between Sarah and Cal serve as confirmation that she’s essentially turning into him?
That’s a good observation. That bedrock of belief is certainly challenged when it comes to being a leader, [when you] realize that your world may have many chinks in the armor. [The toast] marks the beginning of that journey for her.

TVLINE | How tricky of a balancing act is it to portray Sarah as having this blind faith without her coming off as stupid as these obvious red flags pop up around her?
It’s definitely a hard line to toe… [but] I hope it shines through that she has nuances even though she’s clinging to what she grew up with and what she deeply believes.

TVLINE | I struggled to understand why Hawk — who had already stepped pretty far away from the Light — would not at least express a desire to join his father out the door. Especially after his mother went behind his back to break him and Ashley up. If anything, he goes in the total opposite direction in the finale and affirms his commitment to the Meyerist Movement.
He doesn’t know that his mother did that, which is important. To me it’s a teenage thing. He’s like a [deer in the] headlights [in the finale]. He’s toeing the party line. Ashley blindsiding him caused him to go to the safe nest.

TVLINE | Why wouldn’t Eddie tell him the truth about why Ashley broke up with him?
He’s protecting his wife, who he still loves.

TVLINE | Viewers saw that snake in Eddie’s bed before Eddie himself saw it, which suggests that it wasn’t just something he imagined. Was that ambiguity purposeful?
That was purposeful, yes.

TVLINE | Can you tease anything about Season 2?
There will be a couple of new characters… There may be a bit of romance for Eddie.